Communication apparatus and method for displaying mmi

ABSTRACT

A communication apparatus and a method for MMI displaying are provided, wherein the communication apparatus equipped with at least one subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, comprising: a detector, arranged to detect an amount of the SIM card(s) inserted on the communication apparatus; and a processor, providing different man-machine interfaces (MMIs) to be displayed on a display apparatus according to the amount of the inserted SIM card(s); and wherein when the amount of the inserted SIM card(s) equals to one, the processor provides a single card MMI for a subscriber; when the amount of the inserted SIM cards larger than one, the processor provides a multi-card MMI for the subscribers and examines whether there is a predetermined SIM card being determined; and the different MMIs is displayed based on the predetermined SIM card

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 from U.S.application Ser. No. 13/773,865, entitled “COMMUNICATION APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR DISPLAYING MMI,” filed on Feb. 22, 2013, which claimspriority of China Patent Applications No. 201210044773.0 filed on Feb.23, 2012 and No. 201310009107.8 filed on Jan. 10, 2013, the subjectmatter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a communication apparatus with aplurality of user identification cards, and in particular, relates to amulti-card communication apparatus and a method for displaying MMIthereof.

2. Description of the Related Art

In accordance with the needs and developments of the all-around accesscalculating and internet, various kinds of wireless communicationtechnologies have been developed, such as GSM, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, W-CDMA,CDMA2000, TD-CDMA, WiFi, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A and TD-LTE. Generally, onemobile phone can only support one wireless communication technology.Regardless of the location, a smart and continuous mobile communicationcan be provided to the subscriber by the supported wirelesscommunication technology. However, in the modern business society,mobile phones have become necessary tools for efficient businesscommunications. Especially for a businessman, having another mobilephone for business proposes has become necessary. Carrying anothermobile phone can be a good choice to save or manage the charge fees of awireless service. However, it may be inconvenient to carry anothermobile phone, and the inter-switching between mobile phones can beanother problem. Multi-card mobile phones have been developed to providea convenient option for multi-user identification cards. Multi-cardmobile phones are featured by two or more wireless communicationmodules, and each of the communication modules utilizes an independentuser identification card respectively for transmission and receiving ofthe communication apparatus. Multi-card technology allows users to setup communications and receive a call simultaneously ornon-simultaneously. Therefore, multi-card mobile phones are suitable forbusiness or family users, or for travelers between different cities andcountries.

Multi-card mobile phones can meet the needs of using a plurality of useridentification cards, however, so far the design of multi-card mobilephones are not friendly. Traditionally, regarding mobile phones havingseveral sockets, the options corresponding to user identification cardsare displayed on the interface of the mobile phone. The socket notinserted by a user identification card can be displayed by a grey colorto indicate that this user identification card has not been initiated.Similarly, on an actual application or scenario, several options of thecards are all displayed at an MMI (Man-Machine Interface) in an arrangedform. The importance, user preference and user status can not bedisplayed between several cards. Particularly, the lack of thecorrelation between the functional charts of the several cards is notsmart for the options of users. Specifically, when the user wants toselect a functional application, a predetermined user identificationcard can be recommended by the traditional technology. During theoperation of user identification cards, the user has to make a choice onan option menu. This traditional design does not analyze the operatingscenarios of users for processing the possible preference of similaroperations. For many subscribers having the needs of multi-card mobilephones, their needs have not been satisfied.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A detailed description is given in the following embodiments withreference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention provides a communication apparatus equipped with aplurality of subscriber identification module (SIM) cards. Thecommunication apparatus provides a display of a man-machine interface(MMI) according to a number of the inserted SIM cards. The communicationapparatus comprises a detector arranged to detect an amount of theinserted SIM cards on the communication apparatus, and a processorarranged to provide different MMIs according to the amount of insertedSIM cards.

The present invention provides a method to recommend predetermined SIMcards for a communication apparatus equipped with a plurality of SIMcards. The method comprises recording the utilization record of ascenario by a subscriber and detecting whether a previously used SIMcard corresponding to the scenario exists. If existing, the previouslyused SIM card corresponding to the scenario is set to be thepredetermined SIM card and the predetermined SIM card is recorded.

The present invention provides a communication apparatus equipped with aplurality of SIM cards. The communication apparatus provides an adaptiveapplication controller according to a number of the inserted SIM cards.The communication apparatus comprises a detector and a processor. Thedetector is utilized to detect a selection signal selected by thesubscriber for application. The processor provides an applicationcontroller on an MMI corresponding to the application according to theamount of the inserted SIM cards.

The present invention provides an MMI display method applied to acommunication apparatus according to a number of the inserted SIM cards.The communication apparatus is equipped with a plurality of SIM cards.The MMI display method comprises detecting an amount of the inserted SIMcards on the communication apparatus and providing different MMIsaccording to an amount of inserted SIM cards.

The present invention provides an MMI display method applied to acommunication apparatus wherein an application of the communicationapparatus has a plurality of operational options. The MMI display methodcomprises detecting an amount of the operational options and changing anapplication controller according to the amount of the selectedoperational options.

The multi-card communication apparatus having the MMI display method canprovide a more flexible MMI display method for convenient selection andoperation by a subscriber.

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading thesubsequent detailed description for those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention can be more fully understood by reading thesubsequent detailed description and examples with references made to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an environment of a wirelesscommunication according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a logic channel distribution and asignaling procedure of a communication request initiated by a device;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a calling procedure of theMobile-Terminated (MT) of the GSM system;

FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram illustrating a combined GPRS/IMSI attachprocedure;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a initiation procedure of a PDP contentinitiated by the MS;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the hardware architecture of the MS 600according to an embodiment of the present intention;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the hardware architecture of the MS 700of the present intention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the hardware architecture of the MScoupling four SIM cards according to an embodiment of the presentintention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a procedure of a method of providingdifferent MMI menus for a subscriber based on the amount of the insertedSIM cards according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an operation procedure when aprocessor of the MS detects an inserted SIM card according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 a is a flow chart illustrating an operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects two inserted SIM cards according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 b is a diagram of the application controller;

FIG. 12 a is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects two and more than two inserted SIM cardsaccording to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 b is a diagram of the application controller;

FIG. 13 a is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects three and more than three inserted SIM cardswithout a predetermined card according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 13 b is a diagram of the application controller;

FIGS. 14 a to 14 f are diagrams illustrating other settings according toan amount of the inserted SIM cards according to an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart of the method of providing a predetermined cardfor a subscriber based on an application (scenario) according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 16 a to 16 b are diagrams of providing a predetermined SIM card onthe MMI of the MS;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a display arrangement of anapplication controller according to an embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 18 a to FIG. 18 b are diagrams illustrating the different optionsof the application controllers according to the predetermined SIM cardsand the number of the inserted SIM cards; and

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating other display arrangements ofapplication controllers according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claimsto refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art willappreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names.This document does not intend to distinguish between components thatdiffer in name but not function. In the following description and in theclaims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-endedfashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but notlimited to . . . ”. Also, the term “coupled” is intended to mean eitheran indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, if one deviceis electrically connected to another device, that connection may bethrough a direct electrical connection, or through an indirectelectrical connection via other devices and connections. The followingdescription is of the best-contemplated mode of carrying out theinvention. This description is made for the purpose of illustrating thegeneral principles of the invention and should not be taken in alimiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determined byreference to the appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an environment of the wirelesscommunication 100 according to the present invention. The environment ofthe wireless communication 100 includes a Mobile Station (MS) 110 andservice internets 120, 130, 140, 150. It should be noted that althoughthe present embodiment takes the MS as a sample for explanation,however, any kind of terminal apparatuses or servers equipped with useridentification cards, such as mobile terminals, tablets and PDAs, arewithin the scope of the MS 110, and the present invention is not limitedthereto. The MS 110 can be equipped with a plurality of wirelesscommunication modules and/or related user identification cards. The useridentification cards enable the MS 110 to communicate with serviceinternets having the same or different wireless communication technicalRAT. When the MS 110 camps on one to four cells, the MS 110 can performwireless communications with service internets 120, 130, 140 and 150through one to four separate user numbers and/or four separate useridentification cards. The Cell can be an enhance base station (EBS), thenode B, base station (BS) and advanced base station (ABS). Serviceinternets 120, 130, 140 and 150 may obey any of the wirelesscommunication technologies as follows: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA 2000,UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiFi, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A and TD-LTE. The separate one tofour user identification cards may obey the technical specifications ofthe service internets 120, 130, 140 and 150 or other specifications suchas WiFi or WiMAX. For WiFi and WIMAX users, user identification cardsare not necessary, but the user must provide a user name and a password.For example, the service internet 120 can be a GSM/GPRS/EDGE system.Accordingly, one of the user identification cards can be a SubscriberIdentity Module (SIM) card, and the service internet 130 can be WCDMA,UMTS, LTE or TD-LTE systems. Accordingly, another user identificationcard can be a USIM card. The service internet 140 can be a CDMA 2000system. Accordingly, another user identification card can be an R-SIMcard. The service internet 150 can be a WIMAX system. Accordingly, theuser needs to provide a dongle or a user name and a password. The fouruser identification cards equipped by the MS 110 are taken as examples.In another embodiment, according to different designs and needs, the MS110 can be equipped with two or three or more user identification cardsto adapt to the two or three or more wireless communicationtechnologies. The user identification cards of the following one or moreembodiments of the present invention take SIM cards as examples. It canbe understood by those skilled in the art that the SIM cards can be USIMcards, or R-USIM cards and not be limited to SIM cards. Typical one SIMcard can include the information of the user account, useridentification codes of international movements, and a set of SIMapplication toolkit (SAT). The SIM card can provide storage spaces forthe contact book of the contacts. The processor of the basebandmodulation can interact with the MCU of the SIM card to obtaininformation or SAT commands from the inserted SIM card. The SIM card canbe displayed on the customized user menu by the program design. On thephone and communication internet of the UMTS (also called 3G), MS 110can be inserted by a USIM card. The USIM card stores the accountinformation of the user, IMSI, certification information and a set ofthe USIM Application Toolkit (USAT). The USIM card can provide thestorage space for the text information and the contact book of thecontacts. Information or SAT commands can be obtained from the insertedUSIM card by utilizing the MCU of the USIM card. The storage space ofthe phone book of the USIM card can be larger than that of the SIM card.In order to achieve the purpose of certification, a USIM card can storea long-term preshared secret key K, which is in common-use with theAuthentication Center (AuC) of the internet. Within a certain range, theMCU of the USIM can certificate a serial number to avoid callbackattacks by using window mechanisms, and generate a session key CK and IKboth used in the partial cipher and complete an algorithm of KASUMI(also called A5/3) of the UMTS system. Program designs can be performedimmediately after the USIM card is inserted into the MS 110.

The MS 110 can wirelessly access the resources of the interconnectinternet and perform the request of information transmission such ase-mail transmission, Web browsing, file uploading/downloading, real-timeinformation, video streams or others. The MS 110 can also perform thewireless call, such as a VoIP call, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) call,CS call or others. In addition, the host computer or the notebook canconnect to the MS 110 and wirelessly access the resources of theinterconnect internet. Since the MS 110 is equipped with one or more SIMcards and/or USIM cards, the MS 110 can operate at a idle mode or aconnection mode for each inserted SIM card and/or USIM card on theinternet of GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA 2000, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiFi,WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A and TD-LTE.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a logic channel distribution andsignaling procedure of a communication request initiated by a device. Ina GSM communication system, the communication request initiated by adevice can be called a Mobile Originated (MO) communication request,such as a voice communication request. In a GSM communication system,the Call Control (CC) includes the procedure of initiating, controllingand terminating the communication service, and the CC is also a factorof the Connection Management CM. When the MS 110 is arranged to set up acommunication service, such as initiating a voice call service, theentity of the CC sends a channel request through a Random Access Channel(RACH) at first, and the entity of Mobility Management (MM) (stage one)requests an MM connection. Regarding a standard call, the MS 110 mayneed a registration of the wireless internet. However, registration isjust an option for an emergency call. In other words, the emergency callinitiated by the MS 110 can be developed on the connection of theun-enciphered Radio Resource (RR) from the MS 110, while the MS 110 doesnot register on the wireless internet. The Base Station System (BBS) ofthe wireless internet can distribute the Stand-alone Dedicated ControlChannel (SDCCH) or the Traffic Channel (TCH) through the loadedImmediate Assignment of the Access Grant Channel (AGCH). After theprocedure of sending the CM service request (stage 2), the SDCCH can bepassed through, and the certification (stage 3) and the cipher (stage 4)can be finished by the MSC, and the MM connection will be developed.During the certification stage, it is needed to send an authenticationrequest, and the certification will finish after receiving theauthentication response. During the cipher stage, it is needed to send arequest of the cipher mode complete, and the response of the cipher modecomplete will be obtained after receiving the authentication response.After the MM connection and the successful development of the cipher ofthe user information, the entity of the service request CC will beinformed. Then, the transmission signals in the MM connection are usedto develop connections with the entity of the CC of the Mobile SwitchingCenter (MSC). The procedure disclosed above is called a SETUP. The MSCcan reply to the connection request by several different methods. TheMSC can utilize a call proceeding (stage 5-1) to indicate that the callrequest has been received and all of the necessary information ofdeveloping a call has been obtained. Otherwise, the call request can bedeclined by a release complete. Then, when the MSC attempts to connectto the called station, the MS 100 receives the alert information (stage5-2). Once the called station sends the indicating information andreceives a call, the MS 110 receives the assign command. After the MS110 responds to the distributing complete information through the FastAssociated Control Channel (FACCH), the MS 110 will distribute adedicated channel, which is assign complete (stage 5-3). Then, afterreceiving the connect information from the MSC (stage 5-4), the MS 110responds to the information of connect acknowledge (ack). The servicechannel successfully developed on the TCH and MS 110 can start acommunication, i.e. transmit data to each other, with the called stationat once. It should be noted that the CC procedure of the WCDMA orTD-SCDMA communication system are similar to the CC procedure of the GSMcommunication system, and are also similar to the CC procedure of thepresent technology. Therefore, the procedure will not be interpretedagain. It can be understood that FIG. 2 illustrates the previousdistribution, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Theperson skilled in the art can understand that the distributions listedon the file are the known distributions or the existed distributions.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a call procedure of a Mobile-Terminated(MT) of a GSM system. The MT call means that the MS has received a callinitiated outside of the PLMN, or received a call inside of the PLWM andplays the role of a receiver. If a MS is attempted to be called, i.e.,MT call, the MSC/VLR can assign BBS to page the MS. Since the MSC/VLRdoes not certainly know that the BSC and BTS are monitored by the MS,the page information can pass through all of the Location Area (LA) andbe transmitted. The MS receives the Page Request (PAG_REQ) on the PageChannel (PCH), and identifies the call information to be used by itselfbased on the TMSI or IMSI. Then, the MS can transmit the information ofthe Channel Request (CHAN REQ) on the RACH. Then, the BSS transmits theinformation of the Immediate Assignment Command (IMM_ASS_CMD) on theAGCH to be a response, and the information is the Stand-Alone DedicatedControl Channel (SDCCH) distributed by the MS and is used for systemsignal transmission before the TCH distribution. At this point, theinternet does not know that the MS is the paging target MS. The internetonly knows that the MS will access the internet. The MS immediatelyswitches to the distributed SDCCH, transmits the Paging Response(PAG_RES) on the SDCCH, and receives the information of IMM_ASS_CMDindicating the internet that the MS is responding to its callinginformation. The description of the procedure of the initial setup ofthe MT calling is finished.

The internet needs to make a request to the MS for authenticationciphering before the MS provides any service for the MS. The BSS sendsthe information of the Authentication Request (AUTH_REQ) including therandom number (RAND) to the MS, and the RAND is a 128-bits random numbergenerated by the HLR for authentication. The MS calculates anappropriate signed response (SRES) based on the RAND. The RAND is sentby the MS, and the MS loads the SRES into the information of AUTH_REQand sends to the BSS. The BSS authenticates the SRES and admits it toaccess the internet if the SRES is correct and the MS is authenticated.Once the MSC/VLR authenticates the MS, it can command the BBS and the BSto use information of the CIPH_MOD_MD and switch to an authenticationmode. Once the MS is on the authentication mode, the VLR usually assignsa new TMSI to the MS.

Once the MS has been authenticated and is on the authentication mode,the MSC can send a SETUP information through the SDCCH to the BBS andinitiate the channel setup. The BSS can forward the SETUP information tothe MS on the assigned SDCCH. The SETUP information can include aCalling Line Identification Presentation (CLIP), which is actually theID of the calling line. The MS can respond the SETUP information bysending the Call Confirmed (CALL_CON) information indicating that the MScan set up the requested connection and the CALL_CON information can beforwarded to the MSC by the BSS. Then the BSS executes the procedure ofthe call setup by sending the information of the Assignment Command(ASS_CMD) assigning the call channel TCH to the MS on the assignedSDCCH. The MS can switch to the TCH immediately and regard theAssignment Complete (ASS_COM) information on the FACCH as a response(all of the information sent on the call channel are actually loaded onthe FACCH, and the FACCH comes from the time slot used by the TCH forsending information). Once the TCH is initiated, the MS starts to ring.After receiving the ASS_COM information, the MS can send the ALERTinformation to the MSC on the FACCH. The BSS can forward the ALERTinformation to the calling line through the PSTN, and the called linecan monitor the rings of the line. Once the subscriber of the MS repliesto the call (by pushing the OK button or touching the screen), the MScan send the connect (CON) information to the MSC. The CON informationis forwarded back to the calling line to initiate the call. The MSCsends the Connect Acknowledge (CON_ACK) information to the MS to set upa call establishment. The CC of the WCDMA, TD-SCDMA or UMTS system issimilar to the CC of the GSM, therefore, the procedure is not describedagain here for simplicity.

The message of the Short Message Service (SMS) of the MO can be sentfrom the MS to the Short Message Service Center (SMSC). The SMS messagecan regard the predetermined fixed internet, mobile subscriber on theValue-Added Service Providers (VASP) and the SIM card as the targetreceiver. The target receiver receiving the SMS message is also calledapplication-terminated. The message of the MT is transmitted from theSMSC to the target MS. In the GSM system, the complete setup procedureof the Mobility Management (MM) connection needs the transmission of theSMS message, which again assumes the existence on the SDCCH or SACCH isconnected with the RR protected by the LAPD. The SMS transmissionProtocol Data Unit (PDU) utilizes the RP-DATA information between theMSC and the MC, and transmits information by the SM-RP. Whethercorrectly receiving and using the RP-ACK information from the SMSservice center (forwarded by the mobile setup SMS) is confirmed. In thesystem of the WCDMA or TD-SCDMA, before transmitting the SMS message,the RRC connection must be set up successfully.

For the GPRS system, the internet based on an IP (such as the globalinternet or the private/cooperative internet) and the X.25 internet aresupported. Before a (U)SIM card of the MS utilizes the GPRS service, theMS needs to implement the procedure of the GPRS attachments to use a(U)SIM card attached to the GPRS internet. The procedure of the GPRSattachment is to indicate the internet about its programs of theexisting procedure of the internet. During the procedure of the GPRSattachment, the Service GPRS Support Node (SGSN) sets up the contents ofthe MM relating to the mobility and the security of the MS.

FIG. 4 is the simplified diagram illustrating a combined GPRS/IMSIattach procedure. During the procedure of the assembled GPRS/IMSI, theMS sends the attachment request information to the SGSN at first. Theattachment request information is sent to the new SGSN including a newlyassigned Package-Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (P-TMSI) ID orIMSI and information of the location area. The new SGSN queues the oldSGSN (the previous attached SGSN) used for the identification of the MSby switching the identification request and the identification responseinformation. Then, the new SGSN requests more information from the MS toauthenticate itself by switching the identification request and theidentification response information. The authentication proceduresimilar to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is implemented after confirming theidentification card of the MS. If the MM content used for the MS existswithin the service internet, then the authentication is necessary. Afterthe authentication, an optional IMEI check can be implemented to checkthe MS apparatus. Then, the information of the core internet is sent.Any content to initiate the PDP of a new SGSN used for the MS iscanceled, and the switching information is implemented between the newSGSN and the HLR/VLR to update the position of the MS. The SGSN selectsa wireless-first SMS, and sends the information of attach accept(including the P-TMSI, VLR TMSI, P TMSI signature, wireless-first SMS,PS session supporting the IMS voice on the indication, or the emergencyservice supporting identification symbol) to the MS. If the P-TMSI orVLR TMSI is changed, the MS confirms receiving the TMSI by returning theinformation of attach accept, and the SGSN confirms the VLR TMSI bytransmitting the TMSI re-assignment complete information.

After completing the procedure of the GPRS attachment, in order tochange the information package with the outside PDN, the MS applies anaddress called the Package Data Protocol (PDP) address for the using ofthe PDN. Because the PDN is an IP internet, the PDP address is an IPaddress. The PDP content is developed for a session and describes thecharacteristics of the session. The PDP content describes the type ofthe PDP (such as IPv4, IPv6 or others). The address of PDP is assignedto the MS. The registration of the requested quality of service (QoS)and the address of the Gateway GPRS Support Node (GPSN) are used asaccess points with the external internet.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an initiation procedure of a PDPcontent set up by the MS. The MS informs the SGSN requesting content byusing the information of the ACTIVATE PDP CONTEXT REQUEST. Then, atypical GSM security function (such as the authentication of the MS) isimplemented. If the access is authenticated, the SGSN sends theinformation of the ACTIVATE PDP CONTEXT REQUEST to the affected GGSN.Then, the GGSN establishes a new project at the table of the PDPcontext, and the project enables the GGSN to route information packagesbetween the SGSN and an external PDN. The GGSN utilizes the informationof the ACTIVATE PDP CONTEXT REQUEST to confirm the request with theSGSN. Finally, the SGSN updates its table of the PDP context andutilizes the information of the ACTIVATE PDP CONTEXT REQUEST to confirmthe initiation of the new PDP content with the MS. It should be notedthat for the MS using the CS and the PS service, it is possible toimplement the attachment procedure of an assembled GPRS/IMSI. Theanti-connection from the GPRS internet is called the anti-attachment ofGPRS, and such procedure can be initiated by the MS or the GPRS.

In addition, the IP packages proceed to the transmission after packingin the GPRS internet. The transmission of the IP package is obtained byutilizing the GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP). In other words, the GTPpackages bear the IP packages of the subscribers. The definition of theGTP is between the GPRS Support Nodes (GSP) within the PLWN and ofdifferent PLWNs. The GTP includes the information transmission and thedata transmission. During the data transmission, the GTP utilizes theTunnel mechanism to transmit the data package of the subscriber. Duringthe information transmission, the GTP certifies the Tunnel control andthe management protocol. The information transmission is used to set up,amend and cancel the tunnel. The Tunnel Identifier (TID) is composed ofthe IMSI of the (U)SIM card and the Network Layer Service Access PointIdentifier (NSAPI). The PDP content is only indicated by the NSAPI.Under the GTP, the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is used totransmit the GTP packages within the backbone internet. On the internetlayer, the IP is used to route the information packages between thebackbone internets. Take the GSM system for example, After the MSutilizes the (U)SIM card to completely attach the GPRS internet, thecell supporting the GPRS can assign physical channels for the GPRScalls. In other words, the wireless resource of the cell is sharedbetween the MS and the (U)SIM card.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hardware architecture of the MS 600according to an embodiment of the present intention. The MS 600 isequipped with a baseband chip 600 and a single RF module 620 coupled toan antenna 630. The baseband chip 610 comprise a plurality of hardwarecomponents to implement the processing of baseband signals includingADC/DAC, gain adjustment, modulating/demodulating, coding/decoding, andso on. Specifically, the baseband chip 610 comprises a processor 612. Inan embodiment, the processor 612 is arranged to implement the commandsstored at the storage device of the MS 600 or stored at other storableprocessors 612. By implementing the stored commands or operatingaccording to the hard coding, the processor 612 controls the operationof the MS 600 through instructing the MS 600 and the function of therelating management service internet options. The processor 612 can alsobe arranged to operate between the different modules of the MS 600, suchas an MMI 650, a display apparatus 652, an RF module 620, and SIM cards10, 20, 30 and 40. The RF module 620 receives the RF wireless signalfrom the antenna 630 and transforms the received RF wireless signal intoa baseband signal implemented by the baseband chip 610. The basebandchip 610 receives the wireless signal and transforms the receivedbaseband signal into the RF wireless signal transmitted by the antenna630. The RF module 620 comprises a plurality of hardware components toimplement the switching of wireless frequencies. For example, the RFmodule 620 comprises a frequency mixer multiplying the baseband signaland the carrier frequency of the wireless communication system. Thecarrier frequency of the wireless communication system can be 900 MHz,1800 MHz, or 1900 MHz of the GSM system, or UMTS and the 900 MHz, 1900MHz, or 2100 MHz of the WCDMA system, or other carrier frequenciesdependent on the working RAT. As shown in FIG. 6, The SIM cards 10, 20,30 and 40 are inserted into the four sockets of the MS 600. The MS 600comprises a multi-card controller 640 coupled between the baseband chip610 and the SIM cards 10, 20, 30 and 40. The multi-card controller 640provides the different voltage levels for the SIM cards 10, 20, 30 and40 according to the power management integrated chip (PMIC) and thedifferent needs of the batteries. The voltage level used for each SIMcard is determined in the initial stage. The baseband chip 610 readsdata from the SIM cards 10, 20, 30 and 40 through the multi-cardcontroller 640, and writes the data to one of the SIM cards 10, 20, 30and 40. In addition, the multi-card controller 640 transmits the clock(CLK) to the SIM cards 10, 20, 30 and 40, resets (RST) the SIM cards 10,20, 30 and 40, and/or inputs/outputs data information to the SIM cards10, 20, 30 and 40. The baseband chip 610 can support one or severalwireless access technologies such as GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, WCDMA, CDMA2000, WiMAX, TD-SCDMA, LTE and TD-LTE. The SIM cards 10, 20, 30 and 40can be one of the SIM card, USIM card, RUSIM card or CSIM card. Thetypes of the SIM cards correspond to the wireless communicationtechnology supported by the baseband chip 610. If the SIM card is notnecessary to used in a certain RAT technology such as WiFi or WiMAX, theMS 600 comprises a keyboard, a touch screen, a touch keyboard, a gamingjoystick, a mouse and/or a scanner. Specifically, The MMI 650 comprisesa display apparatus 652 which can be implemented by a flat panel screen,a touch screen or any kind of displaying apparatus. Therefore, the MS600 can camp on the internet provided by the same or different internetprovider, or provided by the internet provider corresponding to theinserted SIM cards 10, 20, 30 and 40. The MS 600 can also operate ondifferent modes such as a idle mode, a connection mode, a cell DedicatedChannel (CELL_DCH) mode, a cell Forward access channel (CELL_FACH) mode,a CELL_PCH mode, and a URA_PCH mode of the UTRAN using the RF module 620and the baseband chip 610.

In another embodiment, FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a hardwarearchitecture of the MS 700 of the present intention. Similar to FIG. 6,the baseband chip 710 implements the procedure of the baseband signalsincluding ADC/DAC, gain adjustment, modulating/demodulating,coding/decoding, and so on. The baseband chip 710 comprises a processor712 controlling the operation of the MS 700 and the related operation ofthe accessed and inserted SIM cards. The MMI 650 comprises a displayapparatus 652. Nevertheless, the connection between the MS 700 and theSIM cards 10, 20, 30 and 40 can be implemented only by four interfaces(I/F) provided by the baseband chip 710. Similarly, for the interferenceof the RAT which actually does not need a SIM card (such as thetechnology of WiFi or WiMAX), the MS 700 can provide options for thesubscribers, request the subscriber to input the user name and thepassword through the MMI 650, or connect to the dongle needed by the MS700. It can be understood that the hardware components shown in FIG. 6or FIG. 7 can include less than four SIM cards by amendments, such astwo or three SIM cards, but the invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a hardware architecture of the MS 800coupling four SIM cards according to an embodiment of the presentintention. The illustrated hardware architecture is applicable for theMS of the technology of GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA 2000, UMTS, TD-SCDMA,WiFi, WiMAX, LTE, LTE-A or TD-LTE. On the hardware diagram, the four RATmodules including the GSM/GPRS module 810, the WiMAX module 820, theWCDMA module 830 and the UMTS module 840 can share a single antenna 850.Each RAT module includes at least an RF module and a baseband chip tocamp on a cell operating on a standby mode, a idle mode, a connectionmode, a CELL_DCH mode, a CELL_FACH mode, a CELL_PCH mode or a URA_PCHmode. As shown in FIG. 8, the GSM/GPRS baseband chip 811 couples to theGSM/GPRS baseband RF module 812, the WiMAX baseband chip 821 couples tothe WiMAX RF module 822, the WCDMA baseband chip 831 couples to theWCDMAN RF module 832, and the UMTS baseband chip 841 couples to the UMTSRF module 842. Each baseband chip comprises a processor, for example,the GSM/GPRS baseband chip 811 comprises the processor A 813, the WiMAXbaseband chip 821 includes the processor A 823, the WCDMA baseband chip831 comprises the processor A 833, and the UMTS baseband chip 841comprises the processor A 843. In addition, when operating on a specificmode, each RAT module executes an interaction with the SIM card, such as(U)SIM cards A, B, C or D (It is noted that the SIM card is not neededwhen utilizing the internet of WiMAX or WiFi). The switch apparatus 860is coupled between the antenna 850, the MMI 650 and a plurality of lownoise amplifiers. The switch apparatus 860 connects the antenna 850 toan LNA to permit the RF signal to pass through the connected LNA. Theswitch apparatus 860 can also be used as a multiplexer to permit thedisplay apparatus 652 to implement the display function according to thecontrol signals of the processor 813, 823 or 833. Each LNA amplifies thesignals of the 2G/3G/4G frequency band received by the shared antenna850. The 2G/3G/4G frequency band can be the frequency band of 900 MHz,1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz or others. Once the baseband chip811/821/831/841 tries to implement an operation of receiving ortransmitting, such as an activity of transmission (TX) or receiving(RX), then the baseband chip 811/821/831/841 sends a control signal ofCtrl_GSM_band_sel, Ctrl_WiMAX_band_sel, Ctrl_UMTS_band_sel orCtrl_WCDMA_band_sel to instruct the switch apparatus 860 to connect theantenna 850 to the assigned LNA. Similarly, each processor813/823/833/843 can send a control signal of Ctrl_GSM_band_sel,Ctrl_WiMAX_band_sel, Ctrl_UMTS_band_sel or Ctrl_WCDMA_band_sel tocontrol the operation of the service internet options. It can beunderstood that the GSM/GPRS module 810, the WiMAX module 820, the WCDMAmodule 830 and the UMTS module 840 are just for illustrating. For thepeople skilled in the art, the RAT module can be implemented byGSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA, CDMA 2000, UMTS, TD-SCDMA, WiFi, WiMAX, LTE,LTE-A, TD-LTE or other technologies. While the invention has beendescribed by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments,it is to be understood that the amendments of the hardware components ofFIG. 8 and the more or less amount of the SIM cards are within the scopeof the present invention.

The identification symbol of the SIM card is used to represent the SIMcard actually inserted to the MS. Each identification symbol of the SIMcard includes a name, a color, a status of a SIM card, and the fourfront-end numbers or the four back-end numbers of a SIM card, dependenton the preference of the subscriber. In another embodiment, if an actualRAT does not need a SIM card (such as the technology of WiFi or WiMAX),the identification symbol of the SIM card can also be used to indicatethese service internets after the MS has connected to the correspondingservice internet, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Thesubscriber can change the name and color of the SIM card and edit thenumber of the SIM card at the SIM function setting table. The SIM cardcan be obtained for corresponding to the service provider, or thesetting can be changed for the preference of the subscriber. The MS canalso assign different colors for the different SIM cards, and change thestatus including the standard, un-initiation, invalidity, activity,searching, roaming or others.

When several wireless communication modules and a single transceiver areequipped in a multi-card mobile phone, each communication module is notaware of its responsible mission. For example, two or severalcommunication modules operate respectively, but there is no propercommunicating mechanism between the communication modules. For example,a multi-card mobile phone is allocated to set up an MO calling, and themulti-card mobile phone always utilizes a GSM wireless communicationmodule to perform a predetermined service internet. When the previousdescribed subscriber starts the application of a dial pad or sets up anMO call from the telephone book, the subscriber can decide to utilizethe CDMA wireless communication module and another non-predeterminedservice internet to set up the MO call. In order to turn the MO callfrom the original service internet to the use of the selected wirelesscommunication module and turn to the selected service internet, thesingle baseband chip of the multi-card mobile phone is in charge ofproviding the MMI interface for the subscriber and examining theselection signal transmitted by the subscriber. Therefore, the hardwareof the RF resource for the request of the MO call becomes available, andperforms the procedure of the MO call with a selected service internet.Or one processor of the multi-card mobile phone is in charge ofproviding the MMI interface for the subscriber and examining theselection signal transmitted by the subscriber.

Recommend the MMI Options According to the Amount of the Inserted SIM

Multi-card mobile phones can meet the needs of using a plurality of useridentification cards, however, so far the design of multi-card mobilephones are not friendly. Traditionally, whether the mobile phoneequipped with several sockets has several cards, and the options of theSIM cards are designed according to the maximum capability of theinserted cards and are displayed on the interface of the mobile phone.The socket not inserted by a SIM card can be displayed by a gray colorfor indicating that the card has not been initiated. According toresearch and investigation, the need for the amount of the SIM cards fordifferent users or the same user at different periods varies moreextensively. Therefore, such fixed design brings information confusionsand inconvenience for the use of the subscriber, and sometimes itincreases the complexity of selection and viewing.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure of the method ofproviding different MMI menus for the subscriber based on the amount ofthe inserted SIM cards according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. Although the embodiment takes the SIM cards as an example forillustrating, it can be understood that the SIM card can also be a USIMcard or R-USIM card, and the present invention is not limited thereto.After the MS has been initiated or the amount of the inserted SIM cardshas been changed (the step 901, start), the examiner of the MS (such asthe processor in the baseband chip of the MS 600 in FIG. 6 and the MS700 on the FIG. 7, or a separate processor, but the present invention isnot limited thereto) examines the amount of the inserted SIM cards, anddetermines whether the amount is larger than one (step 902). If theamount of the inserted SIM cards equals to one, an applicationcontroller is generated through the MMI to display the displayarrangement A for the subscriber (step 910), which means that only oneSIM card option is displayed on the application controller of the mobilephone. It can also be the same with the traditional single card mobilephone to conceal (without displaying) the options of other SIM cards.The amount of the inserted SIM cards can be examined and the operationof other components can be controlled by the processor of the multi-cardcontroller of the MS, the single baseband chip, or the baseband chip, orby a separate and single processor. In addition, the operation of theMMI can be controlled by the processor of the baseband chip, such asgenerating and displaying the MMI on the display device, however, thepresent invention is not limited thereto.

If the amount of the inserted SIM cards equals to two (step 903), theprocessor further examines whether there is a predetermined SIM card(step 905). In an embodiment, the predetermined SIM card can bedetermined based on a scenario or a number. If the amount of theinserted SIM cards equals to two and there is a predetermined SIM card,the processor of the MS 110 is arranged to display a display arrangementB, i.e., an application controller is generated to show that a certainchannel is a predetermined SIM card. At the same time, at theapplication controller, another SIM card of another channel is displayedas a candidate project for the subscriber to select if needed. On thecontrary, if the amount of the inserted SIM cards equals to two andthere is no predetermined SIM card, the processor of the MS 110 isarranged to generate the application controller to display a displayarrangement C (step 909). For example, there is no option of thepredetermined SIM card at the application controller, but otheravailable SIM cards are displayed at the back end of the applicationcontroller by an icon for providing the subscriber a further option whenusing the scenario. Other available SIM cards can be displayed as acandidate identification symbol.

If the amount of the inserted SIM cards is larger than two (step 906),for example, the amount equals to three, whether there is apredetermined SIM card is further determined. If the predetermined SIMcard exists, the application controller is generated to display theproject display D (step 908), which is different with the options ofother channels at the back end of the application controller. Forexample, the candidate identification symbol can be changed to the iconfor the subscriber to select a SIM card, such as an overlapping icon ofthe amount of other available SIM cards to inform the subscriber aboutthe amount of available SIM cards to be selected, or a number can bedirectly displayed to inform the subscriber that the processor hasdetected the MS 110 inserted by n SIM cards. If there is no SIM card,the display arrangement C is displayed with the same method of the MS110 inserted with two SIM cards.

The different corresponding operating relationships between the displayof the application controller and the amount of the inserted SIM cardsdetected by the MS are further explained as follows.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects an inserted SIM card according to anembodiment of the present invention. On the application controller (suchas calling), a display arrangement A is displayed to provide availableoptions for the subscriber by concealing the icon of the SIM cards ordisplaying the detected identification symbol of the SIM card.Specifically, after detecting the subscriber selecting an application,the procedure or of the MS loads a controller relating to an application(such as calling) on the interface of the mobile phone, and conceals theicon of the SIM card or displays the identification symbol of thedetected SIM card at the same time. If a SIM card (SIM 1) is inserted(step 1001, start), the display arrangement A is displayed (step 1002),and the icon of the SIM card at the calling application controller isconcealed or the identification symbol of the detected SIM 1 isdisplayed. At the same time, whether there is a selection signalcorresponding to the calling application controller or theidentification symbol of the SIM 1 is detected. If the selection signalis detected by the processor, the connection is set up utilizing the SIMand the corresponding service internet through the multi-card switchcontroller as an example, and according to the procedure of implementinga call application as shown in FIG. 2, a call is initiated from the SIMcard or information is transmitted at step 1003. It should be understoodby those skilled in the art that the selection signal of thecorresponding calling application controller or the identificationsymbol of the SIM card can be a touching signal on the touch screen, orthe signals of hardware keyboards or navigating selections, but thepresent invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 11 a is a flow chart illustrating an operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects two inserted SIM cards according to anembodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 b is a diagram of theapplication controller. On the display arrangement B with two insertedand detected SIM cards (step 1101) and a predetermined card, if theapplication controller (such as calling) can partially display thepredetermined SIM card at the front end of the application controller,the reserving identification symbol can be displayed at the back end ofthe calling application controller to display other SIM options forselection. Specifically, if the amount of the inserted SIM cards equalsto two (such as SIM 1 and SIM 2), the processor of the MS displays thedisplay arrangement B and loads a controller of a related application(such as calling) at the interface of the mobile phone, after detectingthat an application has been selected by the subscriber and apredetermined card exists. At the same time, the identification symbolof the predetermined SIM card (such as SIM 1) and the candidate SIM card(such as SIM 2) are displayed, and whether there is a selection signalon the identification symbol of the SIM 1 is detected. If the processordetects a selection signal (step 1103, detecting whether there is aselection signal on the touching area), the connection is set up by theSIM 1 and the corresponding service internet (step 1103, the touchingarea detects the options of the functional area of the left space), andthe calling application (step 1104) is executed according to theprocedure shown in FIG. 2. If the selection signal on the option of thecandidate SIM card (i.e., SIM 2) is detected (step 1103, the touchingarea selects the other channel areas of the right side), the connectionis set up by the SIM 2 and the corresponding service internet, and theactive calling application is implemented according to the procedureshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 a is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects two and more than two inserted SIM cardsaccording to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 12 b is adiagram of the application controller. When the MS is inserted with twoand more than two SIM cards, if there is no predetermined SIM card, thedisplay arrangement C is displayed (step 1202). The function of thecontroller is displayed at the left region of the application controller(such as calling) of the MMI, and other channel regions are displayed atthe right region. Because now there is no predetermined SIM card, theoption of displaying “selecting a SIM card” is needed no matter whetherthe subscriber touches the controller function region on the left sideor other channel regions on the right side. Therefore, the subscribercan select one SIM card from several available SIM cards and utilize theselected SIM card to start a call or transmit information. Specifically,if the amount of the inserted SIM cards is equal or larger than two andno predetermined SIM card is detected, the processor of the MS willdisplay the display arrangement C after detecting that an applicationhas been selected by the subscriber. At first, the controller of arelated application (such as calling) is loaded on the interface of themobile phone, and the identification symbol of the candidate SIM card isdisplayed at the same time. It should be noted that because the amountof the candidate SIM cards is larger than one, the identification symbolof the candidate SIM card can be represented by a number or aninstitutional method of overlapping papers. When the selection signal ofthe identification symbol of the candidate SIM card selected by thesubscriber is detected, the processor of the MS displays the availableoptions of the SIM cards for the subscriber by displaying a SIM menu orSIM icons, and waits for further signals selected by the subscriber. Ifthe subscriber selects a certain SIM card, after the correspondingselection signal is detected by the MS, the communication connectionbetween the corresponding selected SIM card and the correspondingservice internet will be set up. For simplicity, the similar steps inFIG. 12 a will not be described.

FIG. 13 a is a diagram illustrating an operation procedure when theprocessor of the MS detects three and more than three inserted SIM cardswithout a predetermined card according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, and FIG. 13 b is a diagram of the application controller.When the MS is inserted with more than two SIM cards, if there is apredetermined SIM card, the display arrangement D is displayed. Thefunctions of the controller and the predetermined SIM are displayed onthe left region of the application controller (such as calling) of theMMI, and the other channel regions are displayed on the right region.Because there is a predetermined SIM card, the predetermined SIM card isutilized to set up a call or transmit information, if the subscribertouches the left controlling function regions of the applicationcontroller. If the subscriber chooses to touch the other channel regionsof the right side of the application controller, the options of“selecting a SIM card” is displayed on the MMI for allowing thesubscriber to select one of the several available SIM cards, therebyutilizing the selected SIM card to start a call or transmit information.The detailed description of the display arrangement D will no longerproceed. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that similarparts of the display arrangement D can be taken reference to the displayarrangement B and C. For simplicity, the similar steps of FIG. 13 a willnot be described again.

The above embodiments correspond to a certain application (scenario) andprovide the subscribers the design projects of the MMI for insertingdifferent SIM cards. However, for those skilled in the art, thecorrespondence to the amount of the inserted SIM cards can also beimplemented by signals of the status row, detailed information of thecontacts, and reminding center (information of the service provider) asan example. FIG. 14 a to FIG. 14 e are the diagrams of the othersettings based on the amount of the inserted SIM cards according to theembodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 14 a, in the signals of the status row, thecorresponding status signal of the inserted SIM card is displayedaccording to the amount of the inserted SIM cards. The correspondingstatus signal of the SIM card not inserted is concealed. In addition,the signal icon corresponding to the status row of the inserted SIM cardcan be represented by the styles of different digitals or colors for thesubscriber to identify the corresponding SIM card. The stylecorresponding to the signal icon can be assigned by the subscriber orthe system.

As shown in FIG. 14 b, for the detailed information of the contacts, ifthe MS detects that a certain contact has been selected by thesubscriber, the options of the available applications about the contactcan be displayed on the MMI. Furthermore, the previously describedembodiments can be applied to provide different indicating signalsymbols such as a predetermined car or a candidate card for theapplication options in the detailed information of the contacts.According to the amount of the candidate cards, when the selectionsignal of the subscriber at the icon of the candidate card has beenselected by the MS, the MS develops an optional menu or icon of thecandidate cards to provide further options for the subscriber.

As shown in FIG. 14 c, the embodiments described above are also suitablefor the application of calling by the numbers inputted by the dial pad.Specifically, if there is a predetermined SIM card, the indicating iconof the predetermined SIM card is provided by the left side of thecalling application controller for the subscriber to select. If theamount of the inserted SIM cards is larger than two, the options of thecandidate card are displayed at the right side of the calling option forthe subscriber to select and open the option menu or icon for furtherselections.

As shown in FIG. 14 d, the same implementing method as the signals ofthe status row can also be applied for the name and icon of the serviceprovider of the reminding center. In addition, the information of theservice provider can be rowed in a folded way, and provide an option of“developing selection” for the subscriber to select.

As shown in FIG. 14 e to FIG. 14 f, for the setting of the SIM, once thesubscriber chooses to enter into the setting function of the SIM, theavailable SIM cards can be displayed by a folded way on the setting ofthe SIM. In addition, the option of “developing selection” can beprovided for the subscriber to choose for developing and viewing and towait for further setting operations. Or a plurality of settings aremerged in a folded way for each SIM card, and the option of “developingselection” can be provided for the subscriber to choose to develop andto further proceed settings of each option (such as time, ring, and asetting of the short message) of each SIM.

The Selection of the Predetermined Cards.

In an embodiment of the present invention, because the storage apparatusof the mobile phone or the SIM card can record the communication recordsand the storing telephone book, the predetermined card can berecommended for the subscriber according to the communication records ofthe existing numbers. For example, the previously utilized SIM card canbe a predetermined SIM card for use during a next time. Thisimplementation method is called the selection of the predetermined cardswhich is “based on the numbers”. However, if the subscriber inputs a newnumber to implement a communication request or the number which is notstored in the telephone book is inputted to implement a communicationrequest, only depending on the telephone book and the communicationrecords cannot provide a suitable predetermined card for the subscriber.In another embodiment, the previously utilized SIM card is notnecessarily the best SIM card for the current application. For example,the previous operation is for a short message and the SIM 1 is selectedto perform a communication connection. However, the next time thesubscriber needs to implement a calling operation, the SIM 1 is notnecessarily the best choice.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a method of providing a predetermined card forthe subscriber according to the application (scenario) in an embodimentof the present invention. At first, an apparatus equipped withmulti-card communications, such as the processor of the baseband chip ofthe MS, can record the latest information of the SIM card of the sametype operations implemented by the subscriber at the same applicationand position (scenario). The apparatus records the information at astorage apparatus (not shown on the figure) and is provided to thesubscriber as the predetermined SIM card for use during a next time. Forexample, if there is a history of the calling application operationimplemented by a number newly inputted by a subscriber, next time whenthe subscriber enters a new number or select the options of thetelephone book to implement a call, the operation history of theprevious and same-type application can be referred to the subscriber forrecommending the predetermined card. The implementing method can becalled a selection of the predetermined card which is “based on thescenario”.

Take the MS for example, as shown in FIG. 15, the processor initiates atleast one operation of the SIM card at first on an application(scenario) (step 1501). Take a calling application (scenario) forexample, if the subscriber wants to initiate a call and selects a callfunction by the MMI of the mobile phone, such as selects the callingfunction table, the processor of the MS initiates the related operationsof at least one inserted available SIM card and corresponds to thecalling application. The application controller of the calling functionand the options of the available SIM cards are displayed on the MMI ofthe MS. Then, for at least one of the initiated and inserted SIM card,the controller of the MS determines whether there is a newly operatingSIM card suitable for this scenario from each SIM card (step 1502). Forexample, for the calling options, the MS stores the communicationhistory of the SIM card recorded on the apparatus. The processor candetermine whether there is a SIM card selected and utilized by thelatest call according to the communication history. If yes, the newlyoperating SIM card can be provided to the subscriber as thepredetermined SIM card which is “based on the scenario” (step 1503). Ifnot, no predetermined SIM card is then determined (step 1504). If thedetermination is finished and there is a newly operating SIM card forthe calling option, the processor of the MS further determines whetherthere is a predetermined SIM card “based on the number” for the numberselected by the subscriber (step 1505). For example, for the target SIMcard, when the input number appears in the number matching region andthe subscriber selects the same number in the number matching region,and the number has the predetermined SIM card “based on the number”, thepredetermined SIM card “based on the number” is further utilized to bethe number of initiating a call (step 1507). If the target number doesnot have the predetermined SIM card “based on the number”, the furtherutilized predetermined SIM card “based on the scenario” is provided forthe subscriber to be the predetermined SIM card of the scenario (step1506).

It can be understood for those skilled in the art that if there areseveral service providers are at a region, maybe for the subscriber, thecalling fee of a service provider is cheap, and the short text fee ofanother service provider is cheap. When the subscriber chooses toinitiate a call or transmit a text, if there is no usually utilized SIMcard (such as the SIM card with the lowest charging fee) of the targetnumber about the SIM card latest utilizing the scenario to berecommended for the subscriber, it will be more convenient to not needto re-select a suitable SIM card for usage and operation of thesubscriber.

FIG. 16 a to FIG. 16 b are diagrams of providing a predetermined SIMcard on the MMI of the MS. As shown in the left side of the FIG. 16 a,if the SIM 1 is the latest SIM card utilizing a calling application(scenario), it will be labeled at the front end of the callingapplication controller. In addition, other SIM cards selected by thesubscriber can be labeled at the back end of the calling applicationcontroller. Because the current MS is inserted with two SIM cards andthe SIM 1 is the SIM card most recently utilized by the subscriber fordialing a call, when the subscriber enters into the image, the SIM 1 asa predetermined SIM card is displayed on the left side of the callingcontroller.

As shown on the right side of the FIG. 16 a, if the SIM 1 is the SIMcard of the same dialing position, when the subscriber inputs the numberof the initiating call and the number has its own corresponding andpredetermined SIM card (SIM 3), now the SIM 3 will appear at the leftside of the calling controller with a higher priority. At the same time,it can be a predetermined SIM card recorded at the storage device forcalling during a next time and be provided to the subscriber.

For the informational application (scenario), as shown on the left sideof the FIG. 16 b, the current mobile phone is inserted with two SIMcards (SIM 1 and SIM 3), and the SIM 1 is the most recent SIM cardutilized by the subscriber to transmit information on a new messagecomposer. Therefore, when the subscriber selects the image again, theSIM 1 is the predetermined card and appears on the title position. Asshown on the right side of the FIG. 16 b, the current mobile phone isinserted with two SIM cards (SIM 1 and SIM 3), and the card SIM 1 is themost recent SIM card utilized by the subscriber to transmit informationon a new message composer. When the subscriber adds or inputs anexisting number and the number has a corresponding SIM card (SIM 3), theSIM 3 will be the predetermined SIM card of the scenario and appear atthe title position with a higher priority.

Although the embodiments of the present invention are illustrated by acalling and a message as an example, it can be understood by thoseskilled in the art that different applications (scenarios), such asbrowsing news, sending mails and downloading audio or video from theinternet as long as belonging to the spirit of the present invention canutilize the method described above to recommend the SIM cards for thesubscriber, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The scopeof the present invention is intended to cover various modifications andsimilar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art).

Table 1 illustrates the mapping relationships between the predeterminedcards and the applications (scenarios) recorded in a table and stored ata storage device of the MS 110 according to an embodiment of the presentinvention.

Name Of The Serial Number Application/Scenario Predetermined SIM 1 DialPad SIM 1 2 New Message SIM 2 . . . . . . . . .

If the applications (scenarios) are on the existing data structure, thecolumn of the predetermined SIM card can be newly added to the existingdata structure of the applications (scenarios). As shown in Table 2, thevariable A and the variable B are the existing variables of theapplication name of the application program corresponding to theexisting data structure.

Name Of The Application/ Scenario Variable A Variable B . . . Dial Pad 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

In addition, for the application which does not needing a SIM card toset up a communication connection (such as WiFi), if the processor ofthe MS detects that the subscriber has initiated the application, thecontroller of the application can be displayed on the MMI at first.Then, according to the option previously utilized by the application(such as the dongle), the option can be displayed on a part of theapplication controller as a predetermined option (such as the frontend). Then, the candidate options can be displayed at the back end ofthe application controller (such as the options of the subscriber nameand the password). When the selection signal corresponding to thepredetermined options of the front end is detected, the MS sets up thecommunication connection by the method of utilizing the predeterminedoption, and vice versa.

The Design of the Application Controller

On the display interface of the traditional multi-card mobile phones,regardless of the amount of the inserted SIM cards, the options relatedto the SIM cards are displayed on the MMI in the list form. Thesubscriber encounters a problem of selecting the SIM cards when theoptions related to the SIM cards are implemented. The functions of thecontroller in the interface of the mobile phone in the currenttechnology are more unitary, and the relationship (such as the priority)between several SIM cards is unclear, such that the correlation of eachother is not good.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a setting of theapplication controller on the MMI, such that there is a correlationbetween the SIM cards and the application options displayed on the MMI.In addition, the subscriber can be informed about the own function ofthe application (scenario) and be provided by the predetermined SIMcards and the options of the candidate SIM cards on the application(scenario).

FIG. 17 shows application controllers according to the embodiment of thepresent invention. Each of the application controllers on the MMI isseparated by the left region and right region to respectively displaythe situation of the functions of the current available applicationcontrollers and the situation of the other available channels. It can beunderstood by those skilled in the art that other display arrangementsdistinguishing the relationship between the function of the applicationcontroller and several selectable channels are all within the scope ofthe present invention. Several selectable channels (such as severalavailable SIM cards) can also be further divided into the predeterminedSIM cards and other candidate SIM cards.

Referring to FIG. 17, FIG. 17 illustrates a display arrangement of theapplication controller according to an embodiment of the presentinvention. In order to distinguish the relationship between the functionof the application controller and several selectable channels, the wholeapplication controller is at first divided into two parts. Information(such as picture plus text) for informing the subscriber about the mainfunction of the controller and including the predetermined SIM cardrecommended for the application function can be displayed in one part ofthe application controller. Furthermore, the display arrangements (suchas the roaming status and the name of the service provider of the SIMcard) can be provided in a form of MMI displaying for the predeterminedSIM card to inform the subscriber. The other part of the applicationcontroller is arranged to provide other available channels for thesubscriber, such as other available candidate SIM. Referring to FIG. 17,on the first application controller, the first part is a callingcontroller function or the predetermined SIM card (SIM 1), i.e., otherstatus information, and the second part is the candidate SIM card (SIM3). On the second application controller of FIG. 17, the first part isthe message function and the predetermined SIM card (SIM 2), and thesecond part is the labels of the candidate SIM cards. The labels of thecandidate SIM cards are labeled as two overlapping options to indicatethat there are two candidate SIM cards. Or the labels of the candidateSIM cards can be labeled as the amount of the SIM cards, such as two orthree.

FIG. 18 a to FIG. 18 b illustrate different operations of theapplication controllers according to the predetermined SIM cards and thenumber of the inserted SIM cards.

Under the situation of having a predetermined SIM card, for example, theMS detects two inserted SIM cards and the processor determines that theSIM 1 is the predetermined SIM card. If the application option selectedby the subscriber is a calling, the application controller is displayedas a calling controller by the processor through the MMI. If theselection signal of the subscriber is detected by the first part of theapplication controller, the processor of the MS utilizes the SIM 1 toinitiate a call and set up a communication connection. If the selectionsignal of the subscriber is detected by the second part of theapplication controller, the candidate SIM card (i.e., SIM 3) is utilizedto initiate a call.

If the amount of the detected available SIM cards is larger than two,the difference with the case where the amount of the available SIM cardsequals to two is that the second part of the application controllerdisplayed on the MMI can be an icon to indicate another availablechannel (i.e., a selected icon of another candidate SIM card). If theprocessor detects the selection signal of the subscriber, a selectionlist of the SIM card is further displayed by the MS on the MMI. If theselection signal of the subscriber is detected on the selection list,the communication connection is then implemented by the selected SIMcard.

For the situation of not having a predetermined SIM, no matter whetherthe selection signal of the subscriber is detected by the first part orthe second part of the application controller, the selection list of theSIM card is displayed on the MMI for the selection of the subscriber.

In another embodiment, under the situation that a SIM card is not neededto implement the communication connection (such as connecting theinternet of WiFi or WiMax), a dongle icon or a reminder text can beprovided by the first part of the application controller. The name ofthe subscriber and/or the password or a reminder text can be provided bythe second part of the application controller, and vice versa.

FIG. 19 illustrates other display arrangements of the applicationcontroller according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 19, the display arrangements are displayed by the left/rightarrangements or up/down arrangements, or functionally displayed by thecurrent status of the predetermined SIM on the controller such aswhether roaming or not for the subscriber to see other information ofthe predetermined SIM card more clearly.

The status relationship between several channels can be implemented morestrongly as a whole by dividing the application controller into twoparts and respectively displaying the options of a particular channeland other candidate channel, or further displaying the status of aparticular channel such as roaming. The selection is stronger and is noteasily forgotten by the subscriber. In addition, for the setting of theMMI, it is more user-friendly and saves more monitor space to displaymore options for the subscriber. It is particularly important for takingthe touch screen as the end apparatus. In addition, it is also withinthe scope of the present invention to divide the displaying of thefunction of the application controller and the available channels intoan up part and a down part. It can be understood by those skilled in theart that it is intended to cover various modifications and similararrangements in agreement with the spirit of the present invention. Thescope of the invention is best determined by reference to the appendedclaims.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms ofthe preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it isintended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (aswould be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope ofthe appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so asto encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A communication apparatus, equipped with at least one subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, the communication apparatus comprising: a detector, arranged to detect an amount of the SIM card(s) inserted on the communication apparatus; and a processor, providing different man-machine interfaces (MMIs) to be displayed on a display apparatus according to the amount of the inserted SIM card(s); and wherein when the amount of the inserted SIM card(s) equals to one, the processor provides a single card MMI for a subscriber; when the amount of the inserted SIM cards larger than one, the processor provides a multi-card MMI for the subscribers and examines whether there is a predetermined SIM card being determined; and the different MMIs is displayed based on the predetermined SIM card.
 2. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor provides the multi-card MMI base on the number of subscribers.
 3. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the different MMI each comprises an application controller.
 4. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein when the number of the inserted SIM card(s) is larger than one and a communication request corresponding to an application is initiated by the subscriber, the processor detects whether the communication request has the predetermined SIM card.
 5. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the communication request with the predetermined SIM card is initiated by the subscriber, the processor respectively displays the predetermined SIM card and a candidate identification symbol on the application controller; or when the communication request without the predetermined SIM card is initiated by the subscriber, the processor displays the candidate identification symbol on the application controller.
 6. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the application controller comprises a first part and a second part, and the second part comprises the candidate identification symbol and the first part comprises an icon of the predetermined SIM card.
 7. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first part of the application controller comprises a functional icon corresponding to the communication request, and when the processor detects that the subscriber has selected the functional icon, if the processor has detected the predetermined SIM card exists and a non-predetermined SIM card is not selected by the subscriber, the communication apparatus executes an operation corresponding to the functional icon by the predetermined SIM card; if the processor has detected the predetermined SIM card exists and the non-candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, the processor of the communication apparatus sends an indication signal to indicate the subscriber that a non-predetermined SIM card is selected; and if the processor has detected the predetermined SIM card does not exist and the candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, the communication apparatus executes the operation corresponding to the functional icon by the non-predetermined SIM card.
 8. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein on the application controller of the multi-card MMI, the non-predetermined SIM card is represented by the candidate identification symbol, and when the communication apparatus detects that the candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, at least one part of the non-predetermined SIM card is displayed for selection of the subscriber.
 9. The communication apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the communication request comprises at least one of a calling communication request, a text communication request, or a data transmitting communication request and a SIM card setting.
 10. An man-machine interface (MMI) display method, executed by a communication apparatus equipped with at least one subscriber identification module (SIM) cards, the MMI display method comprising: detecting a number of SIM card(s) inserted on the communication apparatus; when the amount of the inserted SIM card(s) equals to one, providing a single card MMI for a subscriber; when the amount of the inserted SIM cards larger than one, providing a multi-card MMI for the subscribers is provided; and examining whether there is a predetermined SIM card being determined; and wherein the multi-card MMI is displayed based on the predetermined SIM card.
 11. The MMI display method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the multi-card MMI is provided base on the number of subscribers.
 12. The MMI display method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the different MMI each comprises an application controller.
 13. The MMI display method as claimed in claim 12, wherein when the number of the inserted SIM card(s) is larger than one and a communication request corresponding to an application is initiated by the subscriber, the MMI display method further comprises: detecting whether the communication request has the predetermined SIM card.
 14. The MMI display method as claimed in claim 13, further comprising: when the communication request with the predetermined SIM card is initiated by the subscriber, respectively displaying the predetermined SIM card and a candidate identification symbol on the application controller; when the communication request without the predetermined SIM card is initiated by the subscriber, displaying the candidate identification symbol on the application controller.
 15. The MMI display method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first part of the application controller comprises a functional icon corresponding to the communication request, and when the subscriber has selected the functional icon is detected: if the predetermined SIM card exists and the candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, executing an operation corresponding to the functional icon by the predetermined SIM card; if predetermined SIM card exists and the non-candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, sending an indication signal to indicate the subscriber that a non-predetermined SIM card is selected; and if the predetermined SIM card does not exist and the candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, executing the operation corresponding to the functional icon by the non-predetermined SIM card.
 16. The MMI display method as claimed in claim 17, wherein on the application controller of the multi-card MMI, the non-predetermined SIM card is represented by the candidate identification symbol, and when that the candidate identification symbol has been selected by the subscriber, further comprises: displaying at least one part of the non-predetermined SIM card for the selection of the subscriber. 